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PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1982, WHITBY FREE PRESS Jury recommends staffing changesat D.C.D.H. By DAPHNE L. HUNT An inquest into the drownlng death of a 52- year-old development- ally handlcapped man lias resulted in -recom- mendations to update staffing guldelines of the Durham Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped. John Dempster dis- appeared from the cen- tre on April 1 and was found 29 days later - bis body, floatlng ln the waters of the Whitby' Harbor. The five-meniber jury recommended that' the Mlnistry '0f Social and Community Services update the guidelines using "Irecent, com- parative studies com- pleted in the U.S.,...oth- INVITATIONS er provinces," and "tlie Mlnlstry's experience relative to exlsting On- tario facilities." Each facillty, "should ensure" adequate staff- ing in ternis of the Minlstry's recommen- dations and that "guide- lines are extended to the smaliest unit in the faciity.", The three-man, two- women jury also recom- mended tigliter search procedures. The, procedures should include'notifica- tion of policeafter the iitial, searcli,'or "after two' hours have elapsed froni the time of initial missinig report, whicli- ever cornes first." Spe- cial equipment, such as hp waders, ropes and search lights, to aid in marsh area searches, "sbould be provided in sufficient equlp (a) quantities to search par- Also recommended was that a quarterly re- view of the search pro- cedures be conducted by the administrator or bis assistant, and that sear- ches be co-ordlnated between police and cen- tre staff. Regarding the moni- toring of "risk resi- dents" (those who might hanm themselves or others), the jury recommended a resident head count be conducted by, staff every hour, 24 hours daily, "except when in an ares secured by lock and duly record- ed. " If a risk resident wishes to beave the cen- tre, "lie must be ac- companîed by a respon- sible party and lis desti- nation recorded by staff." The re commen- dations would necessi- fate "Ithat any medical symptonis, either men- tal or physical, that in the judgment of the at- tendlng staff require medical attention be reported immediately to qualified medical 'per- sonnel. Ini the interim, the patient should be continuously monitored. The jury recommend- ed the erection of a six- foot, chain-link fence to isolate the marsli ares and. a study into the feasibility of the con- struction of a chain-link. fence around the facili- ty. Also required was sufficient lighting along the lakeshore ares froni the mouth of Cranberry Marsh on the west to the Whitby Yacht Club on the esst. .Finally, "ail (under- ground) tunnels and unused buildings on the facllity. be rendered inaccessible to un- authorized persons."P William Frazer, ad- ministrator of Durhiam Centre, said the recom- While lie supports the concept of nuclear dis- armament, Councillor Joe Bugeuli said that he would flot support having a referendum on the issue during this yesr's municipal elec- tion. Twýo weeks ago, the Whitby Free Press wrote an editorial in support 0f having the issue on the ballot not only as an exercise in democracy but as a demonstration of our feelings on the màtter. The day' after -the editorial went to press, nuclear disarmament was the theme of a phone-in radio show hosted by Larry Solway and Nuala FitzGerald on CKAR Radio. Du'tring. the show, Mayor Bob Attersley defended bis position on the question saying he was "appalled" that anyone would make the suggestion. Attersley pointed out the people of Whitby do have an elected representative in Ot- tawa and since this was an international issue, only he had the jurisdic- tion to say anything on the matter. However, Bugelli op- poses the referendum ides for different res- sons. Firstly, he is, concern- ed that sucli a referen- dum could render the entire November 8 elec- tion nuli and void under the Municipal Elections Act. He points out that mendations wll be "Icarefully 'considered"l and that the jury had "4put a lot of effort" Into the recommendations. "AMirecommeni dations will be Impie- mented or considered,"1 lie said. "lWe found this a positive experlence."1 the election is already costing the taxpayers *39,000 this yesr, so, there sliould be no un- necessary action taken to increase the cost. The money would be wasted if the referendum made the election void, lie ad- ded. More importantly, Bugelli wonders wbat good such a referendumn Would do. "I think the intent behind the resolution is good, but it will only work on a world-wide basis," lie said pointing out that two-thirds of the world's population will neyer get the chance to vote in sucli a referen- dum. "Who are you helping with the resolution?"' Bugelli asks. adding, "Unless you get the op- position to agree, what you're doing is miimiz- ing your chances of sur- vival." The west ward coun- cillor also fears that sucli a referendum wil set a precedent, that the local governent struc- ture does flot need. "It could also set a very awkward precedent, " Bugelli said, that if this one' was carried out then munici- palities wiil be asked to desl with ail kinds of national issues sucli as the death penalty and abortion. "I think if you're going to (get into these kinds of situations) lose sight of what you're supposed to bedoing mni- tially, " he added. Free Press office closes Labor Day In honor 0f the Labor Day holiday, the offices of the Whitby Free Press will be closed on Monday, September 6. The desdline for dis- play advertising will be Friday at 4p.m. The deadiine for classified and empor- iumi advertising as well as editorial contribu- tions will be Friday at 12 noon. For more informa- tion, contact our office at 668-6111. Bugeili doesn' t favor dis armament vote